Wealth out of waste

This case study highlights ITC’s Wealth out of Waste (WOW) Initiative launched in 2007. The ‘WOW program’ – (Wealth out of Waste) was an initiative in 2007 by ITC’s paperboard and specialty papers division as a waste paper collection business to boost raw material supply for its paper board mills. Case Contents • Introduction • About ITC • ITC – Quick Facts • Generating raw materials from waste • The ‘WoW’ Timeline • A Note on the Indian Paper Industry • Bibliography • Exhibit 1 – ITC’s Business Divisions • Exhibit 2 – How the WOW program works • Exhibit 3 – How Wealth out of waste program benefits all stakeholders • Exhibit 4 – A WOW campaign to save a tree • Exhibit 5 – Growth drivers of paper industry in India • Exhibit 6 – Waste Paper Recovery percentage in various countries • Exhibit 7 – Solid Waste Management/Problems & Present state in India • Figure 1 – Waste Paper price rise in India • Figure 2 – Import prices of ONP (Old News Paper)

If you peer into the gutters of any big Nigerian city, a filthy sight awaits you: Floating cans, nylon water sachets, empty bottles and other waste materials discarded by humans, swept there by rain, gathering and clogging up the drain. This is not only a Nigerian problem, it is a global challenge. The world continues to writhe under the burden of waste management. In 2019, the Global Material Footprint (the amount of raw material including fossil fuels, biomass and metal and non-metal ore, extracted to meet total consumption demand), according to the United Nations, was 85.9 billion tonnes – up from 73.2 billion tonnes 10 years before. Meanwhile, the world’s electronics waste – namely discarded smartphones, tablets and other electronic devices – grew by 38 percent in that same year. Today, March 18, the world celebrates Global Recycling Day with the theme #RecyclingHeroes to draw attention to “the people, places and activities that showcase what an important role recycling plays in contributing to an environmentally stable planet and a greener future which will benefit all”. In Nigeria, “wastepreneurs” are providing an answer to this by taking waste straight from the dump, transforming it and redefining its purpose. These innovators work with different materials – water sachets, scrap metal, bottles, plastic, tyres and more – with many of them learning on the job, how to manipulate these objects, to make “beauty out of ashes”. These entrepreneurs ask: “If you can recycle ...

Aminu Owonikoko T he global warming issue (greenhouse effect) in Nigeria and other parts of Africa and the rest of the world can be mitigated by turning our biomass and other waste materials into wealth. Intensive research has shown that biomass and waste materials are “resources” not “waste” anymore. They are regenerative! Bioenergy (Biofuels/bioethanol/biodiesel) can be generated from biomass and waste materials. There is a global rush to biomass and waste materials as feedstocks (raw materials) for biofuels production because they are very cheap and readily available. Biomass is all plant and animal matters that has not been fossilised. They are lignocellulosic in nature. That is, they contain lignin, hemicellulose and cellulose. Examples of biomass and waste materials are: sawdust, woodchips, corn stover, municipal solids wastes (MSW), industrial and commercial wastes, animal wastes (like cow dung and chicken/poultry litter), sugar cane, corn, shredded paper, used cooking oil, jatropha, broomcorn, sorghum, straw, wood shavings, algae, cassava, bagasse, e.t.c. All these resources can be employed to power our vehicles on the road, generate electricity and gas, and produce other biochemicals like fertilizers with readily available and proven technologies. These resources are in abundance in Nigeria and other parts of Africa but they are causing environmental ado to the country (continent) because they are left to be rotten, thus, generating biogas (methane and carbon diox...

Each year the mining industry discards over 200 billion tons of waste (tailings) and produces more than 7% of the world’s carbon emissions. JS Mining Consulting is on a mission to be the world’s leading company eliminating this harmful waste from the environment while sustainably creating valuable materials. Mining and metallurgical processes produce significant amounts of waste. Globally, mining and metallurgical wastes constitute one of the biggest challenges to the environment. If not managed properly, these types of wastes can result in irreversible damage to the environment and constitute a hazard to humans. Despite the environmental challenges associated with mining and metallurgical wastes, the mining and metal extraction industries can be integrated to form a circular economy model that promotes zero waste through the recycling and re-use of these waste materials. In other words, the different waste streams can in fact be considered as secondary sources of valuable minerals and metals. Technologies have now advanced to an extent that the minerals and metals lost in the tailings, after processing, can now be recovered economically. This, however, requires tremendous insight and know-how of diagnostic mineralogy along with innovative processing routes to improve and maximize recovery. JS Mining Consulting and its global partner’s significant experience suggests that many flotation tailings containing precious, minor and rare earth metal values can now be recovered ef...

That’s where companies come in. Consumers are relying on companies to produce items responsibly and make it easier for them to get the items they need while limiting the harm to the environment. Increasingly, companies are getting creative and turning trash and recycled items into new products. Making the most of trash can move items destined for landfills into the hands of eager customers. For as much as consumers may claim to care about the environment, they still want to buy nice things. Recycling items and turning trash into new products could be the balance we need between retail and the environment. The resell and thrifting industry is a huge opportunity for brands and the environment. If everybody bought one used item this year instead of buying new, it would save Lululemon recently started testing a Lululemon and Nike are just the latest in a string of retailers offering incentives to customers and reselling gently used items. In 2019, Levi’s started a buyback program called Even Trade-in programs are great for all customers—it motivates customers to trade in their used items and make another purchase, and it gives other customers a chance to buy discounted items and help the environment. Creating Products From Trash While some companies are reselling gently used items, other companies are taking recycled goods and turning them into completely new products to sell. Nike’s Rothy’s makes shoes and bags completely out of A growing number of companies across all indust...

Wondering how to make money from waste? You’re about to learn some interesting stuff. According to the The volume of waste generated on our continent is expected to double in the coming years as Africa’s economy becomes more prosperous and the size and population of its cities explode. A few smart entrepreneurs are turning the huge waste we produce every day into money-making products. It’s such a brilliant idea that profits your pockets and the environment at the same time! Let’s explore the What exactly is waste? Waste is anything that people do not value anymore and would love to throw away. Waste is the empty box that contained the new television set you just got or the paper bag you used to carry the stuff you bought at the supermarket. These things are now waste because you have no further need for them and would like to dispose them. However, as you will soon find out in this article, waste isn’t entirely useless because there are people and businesses who’ll pay to have them. Waste will remain a part of our lives for as long as we exist. While some people may produce more waste than others, everybody produces it every day as leftover food, dirty water or garbage. We shall only be considering the solid forms of waste in this article because they appear to be more reusable than liquid waste. The most common types of solid waste in Africa are: domestic waste (garbage and rubbish produced by individuals and households), commercial waste (solid waste coming from busines...

Make wealth from waste DELHI IS notorious for its stinking heaps of garbage, choked drains and an army of ragpickers who make a living out of this waste. With a population of over 17.4 million, the capital churns out 8,000 tonnes per day (TPD) of garbage every day. So after the recent announcement of “Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan” by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the real question is: will citizens do their bit to keep their city clean? Experts say Delhi’s garbage problem can be substantially reduced if residential societies locally process their biodegradable waste, which includes kitchen and horticultural waste. What’s more, communities can make money out of biodegradable waste. Here is how: 40 per cent of Delhi’s waste is biodegradable which, if processed properly, can be turned into high-quality manure. The trick, however, is to ensure that biodegradable waste is not mixed with ordinary waste, which can be checked if the processing happens locally. The practice can substantially reduce the current dependency on land to dispose of waste. It will even take care of the stench that emanates from landfills when biodegradable waste decomposes and releases methane, a greenhouse gas. Delhi's potential Kitchen waste accounts for 50 per cent of household waste in the country. Shyamala Mani, a professor at the National Institute of Urban Affairs, New Delhi, estimates that an average Delhiite produces at least 50 grams of kitchen waste in a day. Thus, the city produces at least about 87...

If you peer into the gutters of any big Nigerian city, a filthy sight awaits you: Floating cans, nylon water sachets, empty bottles and other waste materials discarded by humans, swept there by rain, gathering and clogging up the drain. This is not only a Nigerian problem, it is a global challenge. The world continues to writhe under the burden of waste management. In 2019, the Global Material Footprint (the amount of raw material including fossil fuels, biomass and metal and non-metal ore, extracted to meet total consumption demand), according to the United Nations, was 85.9 billion tonnes – up from 73.2 billion tonnes 10 years before. Meanwhile, the world’s electronics waste – namely discarded smartphones, tablets and other electronic devices – grew by 38 percent in that same year. Today, March 18, the world celebrates Global Recycling Day with the theme #RecyclingHeroes to draw attention to “the people, places and activities that showcase what an important role recycling plays in contributing to an environmentally stable planet and a greener future which will benefit all”. In Nigeria, “wastepreneurs” are providing an answer to this by taking waste straight from the dump, transforming it and redefining its purpose. These innovators work with different materials – water sachets, scrap metal, bottles, plastic, tyres and more – with many of them learning on the job, how to manipulate these objects, to make “beauty out of ashes”. These entrepreneurs ask: “If you can recycle ...

Wondering how to make money from waste? You’re about to learn some interesting stuff. According to the The volume of waste generated on our continent is expected to double in the coming years as Africa’s economy becomes more prosperous and the size and population of its cities explode. A few smart entrepreneurs are turning the huge waste we produce every day into money-making products. It’s such a brilliant idea that profits your pockets and the environment at the same time! Let’s explore the What exactly is waste? Waste is anything that people do not value anymore and would love to throw away. Waste is the empty box that contained the new television set you just got or the paper bag you used to carry the stuff you bought at the supermarket. These things are now waste because you have no further need for them and would like to dispose them. However, as you will soon find out in this article, waste isn’t entirely useless because there are people and businesses who’ll pay to have them. Waste will remain a part of our lives for as long as we exist. While some people may produce more waste than others, everybody produces it every day as leftover food, dirty water or garbage. We shall only be considering the solid forms of waste in this article because they appear to be more reusable than liquid waste. The most common types of solid waste in Africa are: domestic waste (garbage and rubbish produced by individuals and households), commercial waste (solid waste coming from busines...

That’s where companies come in. Consumers are relying on companies to produce items responsibly and make it easier for them to get the items they need while limiting the harm to the environment. Increasingly, companies are getting creative and turning trash and recycled items into new products. Making the most of trash can move items destined for landfills into the hands of eager customers. For as much as consumers may claim to care about the environment, they still want to buy nice things. Recycling items and turning trash into new products could be the balance we need between retail and the environment. The resell and thrifting industry is a huge opportunity for brands and the environment. If everybody bought one used item this year instead of buying new, it would save Lululemon recently started testing a Lululemon and Nike are just the latest in a string of retailers offering incentives to customers and reselling gently used items. In 2019, Levi’s started a buyback program called Even Trade-in programs are great for all customers—it motivates customers to trade in their used items and make another purchase, and it gives other customers a chance to buy discounted items and help the environment. Creating Products From Trash While some companies are reselling gently used items, other companies are taking recycled goods and turning them into completely new products to sell. Nike’s Rothy’s makes shoes and bags completely out of A growing number of companies across all indust...